Democratic Republic of Madagascar

The Democratic Republic of Madagascar was a communist state that administered the island of Madagascar from 30 December 1975 to 12 September 1992. Governed by Didier Ratsiraka and his Association for the Rebirth of Madagascar, the Democratic Republic sought to build a society led by the Supreme Revolutionary Council, peasants and workers, young intellectuals, women, and the Popular Armed Forces. The country oversaw the "economic decolonization" of the island, pursued a foreign policy of non-alignment, and instituted rigid press censorship in the place of martial law. Protests during the late 1970s led to Ratsiraka adopting a free market and abandoning Marxism. Popular support for the party during elections dropped from 96% in 1975 to 63% in 1989, and a 400,000-citizen march on the presidential palace in Antanarivo on 10 August 1991 and several crippling strikes forced the government to transition to democracy. On 12 September 1992, a new constitution was drafted, ending the communist regime.